Mayor Scott Avedisian has praised the men and women of the Police Department, under the leadership of Colonel Stephen McCartney, following the recent publication by CQ Press of an analysis ranking Warwick the safest city in Rhode Island and the 46th safest nationally.

The 2013 edition of “City Crime Rankings: Crime in Metropolitan America” examined statistics in cities with populations of more than 75,000 that reported crime data in six categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. In total, 432 cities were included in the results, according to information noted in CQ Press’ methodology report.

“This ranking reflects the ongoing commitment of Colonel McCartney, his command staff and our officers to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents,” Avedisian said in a statement. “Our department has developed good working relationships with neighborhood associations, the business community, faith groups and other organizations, and has made them partners in our ongoing efforts to prevent crime, increase awareness of issues and improve services. I congratulate our department on this recognition.”

“The credit for this ranking belongs to all the employees – both civilian and sworn – who serve our residents on a daily basis, all day and night,” McCartney said. “The department is fortunate to have a great constituency in the many groups who work and collaborate with the WPD daily to improve our quality of life and make Warwick a great place to live and work.”

The department is a CALEA-accredited agency. It first earned accreditation in 1997 and was most recently re-accredited in 2012. Nationally accredited status is a highly valued recognition of professional excellence in law enforcement.